Information about the object:
The cemetery in Zbarazh is one of the better preserved necropolises in the Ternopil region. It consists of two parts: the Catholic and the Orthodox. In the Catholic part, more than a thousand tombstones from the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries have been preserved, many of them of unique historical and artistic value. The cemetery itself is a testimony to the historical multiculturalism of the city and is a cultural heritage site.

Completed works:

2021
The aim of the restoration, conservation and reconstruction works was to restore the instrument to its former glory, with a view to using it for liturgical and concert services, while retaining all functional, original and historic structural elements, which are a high percentage of the original.

The project involves a continuation of the work, started in 2020, which involved the restoration and preservation of 130 endangered old gravestones in the Catholic cemetery. In addition to the initial documentation, the work included the removal of shrubs, the felling of trees that threaten the monuments and the tidying up of the area. The remaining area of the cemetery had been neglected before the task began, and the disorderly tombstones were damaged to varying degrees or completely broken. The area was overgrown with dense bushes and weeds, while a fence was missing from the side street. Prior to the start of the work, permission had been obtained from the local authorities to clean up the pre-war parts of the cemetery, which, in Ukrainian conditions, means that the legal work could continue and be completed gradually. This year's project envisaged cleaning up another part of the old cemetery. It was assessed that the most important thing was to continue work along the central avenue, dividing the cemetery into Catholic and Orthodox parts. As last year's experience along this avenue showed, there is a gradual expansion of new Orthodox burials and old tombstones, especially those overturned and damaged, are being removed in the process. The programme of works included the selection, preparation of preliminary documentation, development of a concept for cleaning up another 200 gravestones; erection of a fence on the western side of the cemetery; thorough cleaning of the designated area of the cemetery from wild growing plants and bushes; cleaning up overgrown grave fields; setting fallen gravestones; stabilising them; uprighting and stabilising tilted gravestones to the extent that they may fall; excavating damaged gravestones or their elements from the ground; collating broken tombstones into individual elements (assuming that all the components come from a given tombstone), and then gluing them together and setting/stabilising them as necessary; removing rubbish and removed plants and shrubs from the works area; architectural and conservation supervision of the works carried out; preparation of as-built documentation, including a detailed report and photographic documentation showing all tombstones before and after the works have been completed.

2023
The project envisages a continuation of the work carried out in 2020-21, during which time 210 old tombstones in the Catholic cemetery were protected from destruction. This year's project envisages cleaning up another part of the old cemetery, located along the main avenue and in the north-western part. This part of the old cemetery is very neglected; tombstones are damaged to varying degrees or are completely broken, the area is overgrown by dense bushes and weeds.

It is assumed that cleaning up the area will prevent the expansion of new "wild" burials. The programme of works includes, among other things: clearing and weeding the designated cemetery area; cleaning overgrown grave fields; plumbing and stabilising about 60 tombstones; and other necessary measures to restore the proper condition and appearance of the next part of the zbaraska necropolis to be cleaned up.

Funding: Programme of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage "Protection of cultural heritage abroad".

More about the project: https://polonika.pl

https://polonika.pl

• Fundacja Partnerstwa Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, realizacja w latach 2020-2021, 2023.